I wanted to post some about my updated campaign idea (was originally a BESM character writeup and I just kept expanding it) Now it's evolved into a veritable animation studio of ideas. I don't really have an overall name for the larger setting, so here are the shows.
Savior Star Soldiers
Savior Polaris fights with her teenage friends against the dangers of the Technosphere and the Monster Kingdom, to defend the Tokyo area, and ultimately the world, from destruction. Aided by Tempos, these six heroes have been gifted with the starpower energy and henshin bands that allow them to transform into the Star Soldiers when danger threatens.
Kagekaitou (literally shadowthief)
Ishida Mamoru is an average college student, with a very unique hobby. At night he dons his magic mask, and transforms into the gentleman thief Kagekaitou. Kagekaitou has become famous for breaking into the most secure locations and stealing symbolic works, such as art, historical items and so forth. He then later returns most of the items (if the owner isn't evil). He shares his adventures with his close friend(s), while running away from his police detective cousin. A love interest and studies he doesn't take seriously round out the ridiculousness.
Battle High School
Kimiko Tamaya, a Japanese American exchange student is also the successor to the Tamaya school of Kenjutsu, and the current possessor of the ohana blade, and appointed guardian of the peace. She just transferred to this new high school as a second year, and she has found that there are numerous people with fighting skills, attitudes, and a desire to be called the best. The chaos at school is only aided by the teachers turning a blind eye to the various fights, and destruction. Kimiko has been burning up with passion to find worthy challengers, and this makes it convenient to bring her katana to school in case she must fulfill her other obligation, hunting down monsters and stopping witches from dooming the world.
Special Team Future Force
The world of 200 years in the future has many of the same problems as modern day Japan, but when a criminal named Kuroshi travels back in time to finally create his empire, a team of special forces officers are sent back as well to capture him. However they have trouble in the time tunnel, and their ship crashes in the wilderness near Yokohama. Instead of arriving on Kuroshi's heels he's had months to entrench himself and set up a criminal organization. With their battle belts, they can summon their futuristic gear and vehicles, to stop Kuroshi's mutated thugs and plots. Strangers out of time having to adapt to the world of now, the four troopers and their commander befriend a pair of locals who teach them how to act, and help them figure out Kuroshi's plans.
My interwoven campaign ideas
Celestrons and Malestrons
One thing ties most of these series together besides a shared Earth, and it is called Starpower energy. A celestron is a person who is gifted with tremendous assets of positive internal power called Starpower energy that originated in the Celestial Event thousands of years ago. This energy store at base makes them stronger, faster and more resilient than normal people, but still well within human maximums.
A Malestron is a person or being imbued with the opposite of Starpower, which is called Negapower energy. Instead of automatically being better than human all the time and having the ability to use power items easily (celestron style configuration), they sometimes are much better than human all the time (monster configuration), or have inborn command of dark powers (witch configuration). Any monster or witch has to do an attunement ritual whenever they want to get an artifact to work for them.
Starpower energy can be passed along to successors, via touch. Otherwise, when a possessor dies the energy flies into the sky and seeks a new host. Unlike Starpower, Negapower does not seek out a new host once the previous one dies, there is an explosion of sorts but this is mainly for show. Then the power goes back to the source.
Starpower gear, or artifacts, are items created by humans, aliens and others in the distant past which have found their way into the hands of people imbued with the power. Incidentally, Starpower gear can easily be powered off of Negapower instead of Star Power and the abilities that manifest are only slightly darker in color, so malestrons often spend great amounts of time hunting down artifacts of the past because they can use them as well as the heroes can.
Standard Celestron abilities
Quick +1
Strong +2
Vitality +1
Room for Two -1 or Secret -1
Wanted -2
Savior Stars or Star Soldiers, are a group of celestrons aided by advanced technology to bring their power out and put it to good use. The Savior Star gear that manifests around them during henshin "transformation" is powered by their internal stores of starpower energy, but it lets them produce truly superhuman power for short periods of time in order to battle the forces of evil. The Star Soldier gear is a new iteration of the technology recently brought to the cause.
The Star Soldier gear instead traps the Starpower energy when the soldier dies, assumes its non-activated nondescript form and teleports back to base. Sometimes the device itself is destroyed, which means the energy escapes and immediately finds a host. This relationship may cause new star soldiers to believe that their power comes from their gear, and that their gear is the limit and breadth of their capabilities.
Star Soldier Gear is not capable of storing Negapower, and this is the only way to be certain someone was a malestron instead of a celestron. Star Soldier Gear is capable of being programmed in various ways. This is what allows someone to learn a new more powerful attack, the programming kicks in when the new activation string is used, and usually results from research back at base.
One thing ties most of these series together besides a shared Earth, and it is called Starpower energy. A celestron is a person who is gifted with tremendous assets of positive internal power called Starpower energy that originated in the Celestial Event thousands of years ago. This energy store at base makes them stronger, faster and more resilient than normal people, but still well within human maximums.
A Malestron is a person or being imbued with the opposite of Starpower, which is called Negapower energy. Instead of automatically being better than human all the time and having the ability to use power items easily (celestron style configuration), they sometimes are much better than human all the time (monster configuration), or have inborn command of dark powers (witch configuration). Any monster or witch has to do an attunement ritual whenever they want to get an artifact to work for them.
Starpower energy can be passed along to successors, via touch. Otherwise, when a possessor dies the energy flies into the sky and seeks a new host. Unlike Starpower, Negapower does not seek out a new host once the previous one dies, there is an explosion of sorts but this is mainly for show. Then the power goes back to the source.
Starpower gear, or artifacts, are items created by humans, aliens and others in the distant past which have found their way into the hands of people imbued with the power. Incidentally, Starpower gear can easily be powered off of Negapower instead of Star Power and the abilities that manifest are only slightly darker in color, so malestrons often spend great amounts of time hunting down artifacts of the past because they can use them as well as the heroes can.
Standard Celestron abilities
Quick +1
Strong +2
Vitality +1
Room for Two -1 or Secret -1
Wanted -2
Savior Stars or Star Soldiers, are a group of celestrons aided by advanced technology to bring their power out and put it to good use. The Savior Star gear that manifests around them during henshin "transformation" is powered by their internal stores of starpower energy, but it lets them produce truly superhuman power for short periods of time in order to battle the forces of evil. The Star Soldier gear is a new iteration of the technology recently brought to the cause.
The Star Soldier gear instead traps the Starpower energy when the soldier dies, assumes its non-activated nondescript form and teleports back to base. Sometimes the device itself is destroyed, which means the energy escapes and immediately finds a host. This relationship may cause new star soldiers to believe that their power comes from their gear, and that their gear is the limit and breadth of their capabilities.
Star Soldier Gear is not capable of storing Negapower, and this is the only way to be certain someone was a malestron instead of a celestron. Star Soldier Gear is capable of being programmed in various ways. This is what allows someone to learn a new more powerful attack, the programming kicks in when the new activation string is used, and usually results from research back at base.
Siroh
Kagekaitou is a gentleman thief who uses his super abilities to steal anything that means something symbolic. He often returns what he steals with either a donation for the museum, or a hand written note if privately held. When the person who owns the item is unrighteous or evil, he keeps the item. He once stole an object from a yakuza boss' mansion, and that man has hired ninja to chase him down. Furthermore, there is a cop who wants to catch Kagekaitou regardless of the fact that he is a robin hood type character, who generally steals for the thrills and prestige of the theft, not the value of the item. Kagekaitou is the sort of series where one member is the thief, one member is his friend and confidant (who helps him escape being revealed, and so on) and one member who is the love interest but doesn't know anything about the activities. Furthermore, the cop may be a relative and extra group member. Kagekaitou never fights monsters as a rule, but a crossover could always occur with Battle High School as he operates in Tokyo most often.
Ishida Mamoru
Art of Invisibility +3
Barrier +3
Beautiful +1
Charisma +2
Defense +4
Flight +1
Hammerspace +1
Hobby: Thievery +4
Power Move +1
Shadow Hands (DT 2, Entangle, Ranged, Decreased Damage x2, Empty Hands, No Knockback; 5 Endurance)
Shadow Blades (DT 4, Endurance Drain, Stun, Decreased Damage, Low Penetration; 10 Endurance)
Quick +1
Shape Change +1
Strong +2
Teleport +2
Vitality +1
Code of Conduct -1 (gentlemanly, never steal from the poor)
Compulsion -1 (Leaving a calling card behind after a theft)
Focus -3 (Barrier, Flight, Hammer Space, Power Move, Shape Change, and Teleport require his Mask)
Fussy -1
Impulsive -2
Ineptitude -2 (Mathematics)
Love Interest -1
Obsession -2 (Overcoming challenging security around symbolic items)
Pacifist -1
Rival -2 (relative cop)
Room for Two -1 (insight from former power holder)
Secret -2 (masked gentleman thief)
Wanted -2 (Celestron)
Total +4
Ishida Mamoru
Art of Invisibility +3
Barrier +3
Beautiful +1
Charisma +2
Defense +4
Flight +1
Hammerspace +1
Hobby: Thievery +4
Power Move +1
Shadow Hands (DT 2, Entangle, Ranged, Decreased Damage x2, Empty Hands, No Knockback; 5 Endurance)
Shadow Blades (DT 4, Endurance Drain, Stun, Decreased Damage, Low Penetration; 10 Endurance)
Quick +1
Shape Change +1
Strong +2
Teleport +2
Vitality +1
Code of Conduct -1 (gentlemanly, never steal from the poor)
Compulsion -1 (Leaving a calling card behind after a theft)
Focus -3 (Barrier, Flight, Hammer Space, Power Move, Shape Change, and Teleport require his Mask)
Fussy -1
Impulsive -2
Ineptitude -2 (Mathematics)
Love Interest -1
Obsession -2 (Overcoming challenging security around symbolic items)
Pacifist -1
Rival -2 (relative cop)
Room for Two -1 (insight from former power holder)
Secret -2 (masked gentleman thief)
Wanted -2 (Celestron)
Total +4
Siroh
Battle High School
In this school certain individuals all want to prove themselves the most bad ass, so they pick fights. The school staff seems incredibly lenient, and fights that break school property and send combatants to the nurses office, or even the hospital, are tolerated as long as both parties consent to the fight. There are a handful of special individuals at the High School, but the majority of these people don't actually have starpower energy, they are simply super martial artists and so on. There is one student who is a master of the tao who is an exchange student from China. He is apparently not a celestron either, but he has power on par with the most powerful people in school. He can fly, lift heavy objects, move objects with "normal" strength at range, and interact with spirits. Occasionally bakemono or angry kami attack the area, and the strongest students fight back. The tone is more school days and martial arts tournaments, but occasionally the holder of the ohana blade must serve in her official capacity of savior of the city.
Typical Battle High Fighter
A typical student who is in the competition at Battle High School. They are much stronger than a normal student, but they focus entirely upon their martial art as well. Furthermore, there are numerous people who are stronger than them, but they typically refuse to believe this or see it as a training challenge.
Defense +2, Hobby +2 (Martial Art Style), Martial Arts +2, Tough +1, Ageism -1, Rival -3, Stubborn -1
Kimiko Tamaya (Guardian of the Peace)
Beautiful +2
Combat Skill +2
Defense +2
Hobby +4 (Kenjutsu)
Martial Arts +1
Perceptive +2
Quick +2
Power Move +2
Falling Petals Dance (3 DT, Endurance Drain, Extra Knockback, Multiple Targets, Decreased Damage x2; 20 Endurance)
Perfectly Beautiful Slash (5 DT, Accurate, Armor Piercing x2, No Knockback, Slow; 15 Endurance)
Stinging Petal Rain (4 DT, Ranged, Rapid Strikes, Decreased Damage, Inaccurate, No Knockback; 10 Endurance)
Blossom Avalanche (8 DT, Area Effect, Extra Damage x3, Extra Knockback, Ranged, Activation, Cancel vs Flyers; 35 Endurance)
Sixth Sense +1
Strong +2
Super Speed +2
Tough +1
Vitality +1
Weapon +2
Ohana Blade (Armor Piercing x2)
Ageism -1
Bad Reputation -1
Code of Conduct -2
Focus -2 (Power Moves and Super Speed require the Ohana blade)
Guy Magnet -2
Impulsive -1
Ineptitude -3 (Flower Arranging)
Ineptitude -1 (Poetry)
Obsession -2 (being the Best fighter she can be)
Rival -1
Secret -1
Servitude -1 (Guardian of the Peace)
Short Temper -2
Wanted -2
Total +4
In this school certain individuals all want to prove themselves the most bad ass, so they pick fights. The school staff seems incredibly lenient, and fights that break school property and send combatants to the nurses office, or even the hospital, are tolerated as long as both parties consent to the fight. There are a handful of special individuals at the High School, but the majority of these people don't actually have starpower energy, they are simply super martial artists and so on. There is one student who is a master of the tao who is an exchange student from China. He is apparently not a celestron either, but he has power on par with the most powerful people in school. He can fly, lift heavy objects, move objects with "normal" strength at range, and interact with spirits. Occasionally bakemono or angry kami attack the area, and the strongest students fight back. The tone is more school days and martial arts tournaments, but occasionally the holder of the ohana blade must serve in her official capacity of savior of the city.
Typical Battle High Fighter
A typical student who is in the competition at Battle High School. They are much stronger than a normal student, but they focus entirely upon their martial art as well. Furthermore, there are numerous people who are stronger than them, but they typically refuse to believe this or see it as a training challenge.
Defense +2, Hobby +2 (Martial Art Style), Martial Arts +2, Tough +1, Ageism -1, Rival -3, Stubborn -1
Kimiko Tamaya (Guardian of the Peace)
Beautiful +2
Combat Skill +2
Defense +2
Hobby +4 (Kenjutsu)
Martial Arts +1
Perceptive +2
Quick +2
Power Move +2
Falling Petals Dance (3 DT, Endurance Drain, Extra Knockback, Multiple Targets, Decreased Damage x2; 20 Endurance)
Perfectly Beautiful Slash (5 DT, Accurate, Armor Piercing x2, No Knockback, Slow; 15 Endurance)
Stinging Petal Rain (4 DT, Ranged, Rapid Strikes, Decreased Damage, Inaccurate, No Knockback; 10 Endurance)
Blossom Avalanche (8 DT, Area Effect, Extra Damage x3, Extra Knockback, Ranged, Activation, Cancel vs Flyers; 35 Endurance)
Sixth Sense +1
Strong +2
Super Speed +2
Tough +1
Vitality +1
Weapon +2
Ohana Blade (Armor Piercing x2)
Ageism -1
Bad Reputation -1
Code of Conduct -2
Focus -2 (Power Moves and Super Speed require the Ohana blade)
Guy Magnet -2
Impulsive -1
Ineptitude -3 (Flower Arranging)
Ineptitude -1 (Poetry)
Obsession -2 (being the Best fighter she can be)
Rival -1
Secret -1
Servitude -1 (Guardian of the Peace)
Short Temper -2
Wanted -2
Total +4
Siroh
I kept the personalities beyond quirks unstated because I'd want players to take the concept and make it their own or replace the character but use the one I came up with as a guide. Of course they make good NPCs too. Kagekaitou is inspired by DNAngel and other anime of that ilk, Kaitou St. Tail is another. Gentlemen thieves are always courteous and are always chased by someone who is obsessed with catching them. Battle High School is equal parts Samurai Girl, Tenjou Tenge and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (but the emphasis is on the school tournament stuff). More to come at a later date.
Siroh
The Battle High bit gives me a bit of nostalgia for Battlemaster High, a similarly themed anime campaign I was once a part of.Future Force
Future Force is an almost direct homage to japanese sentai shows. The heroes are mostly from the future, although two locals are found by them and join up to help them acclimate to the current time. The other five members are the commanding officer, the squad leader, his right hand, the hothead and the scientist trooper. The commander rarely goes into the field, and the resident science genius must often stay behind to get things taken care of to defeat the villains.
I planned a mid-season tie-in to Savior Star Soldiers, so the squad leader, right hand and hot head are also reserve Savior Stars. If they already have their Future Force gear on when they use their henshin bands they become Powered Future Force. In line with the formula of such series, they depend on their science gear first and resort to their magi-tech gear only in bad situations.
Basic package
This comes out to a total +1 adjustment
Future Enforcer-1
Bail Toraga, Lieutenant (Squad Leader) series start
Agile +2
Defense +2
Future Force Package +1
Hobby: Firearms +2
Hobby: Tactics +4
Intimidation +1
Perceptive +1
Position of Power +1
Tough +1
Arrogant -1 (People of the past are helplessly primitive)
Boorish -1
Code of Conduct -1 (Honesty)
Emotionless -1
Fussy -2
Girl Magnet -1
Naive -1
Obsession -1 (Return to the Future)
Obsession -2 (Stopping Kuroshi's plans)
Overconfident -1
Total +0
Mid Season powerup version includes Savior Star Soldiers teamup. He gains the standard celestron package, and a henshin watch with the following abilities and weaknesses:
Savior Taurus, the Gold Star Soldier
Quick +1
Strong +2
Transformation +5
Armor +1
Endurance Reserve +2
Power Move +2
Strong +2
Weapon +3 (Taurus Trident, Accurate, Extra Knockback)
Vitality +1
Focus -1 (Transformation due to henshin watch)
Rival -2 (Savior Lupus)
Room for Two -1
Servitude -1 (Helping the Savior Star Soldiers)
Wanted -2
Total adjustment +2
Note: Bail is specifically allowed to combine both his transformations if he possesses both devices. In which case he combines all the powers together and is known as Powered Enforcer-1. In this form, the Taurus Trident is called the Blazing Spear, and the Flash Knuckle is integrated into the end of the weapon, the head splitting apart briefly to flare. The Kintama Blaster gets smaller, gains a joint causing it to look more like a wand than a gun, but maintains the same power and range. The kintama blaster also gains a "sword mode" where a beam cuts up to half a meter from the tip. This is the same weapon without the ranged quality, so it isn't paid for again. (Also it's only available to Powered Enforcer Alpha)
I realize I didn't define his Savior Star power moves. He is a super-strength archetype, so his moves relate to massive damage punches or trident strikes.
I planned a mid-season tie-in to Savior Star Soldiers, so the squad leader, right hand and hot head are also reserve Savior Stars. If they already have their Future Force gear on when they use their henshin bands they become Powered Future Force. In line with the formula of such series, they depend on their science gear first and resort to their magi-tech gear only in bad situations.
Basic package
Code: Select all
Combat Ability +1
Martial Arts +1
Special Ability +1 (Communicator)
Transformation +3
Armor +1
Vehicle +2
Fly-Cycle
Armor +1
Flight +3
Power Move +1
Pulse Blasters (Ranged, Decreased Damage, Inaccurate x2, 0 endurance)
Quick +1
Bizarre Appearance -1
Special Weakness -2 (Must fuel at base)
Wanted -1 (Scientists want to examine)
Weapon +2
Kintama Blaster (Ranged)
Weapon +1
Flash Knuckle (Blinding, Low Penetration)
Focus -1 (Transformation depends on tech belt)
Secret -1
Servitude -2 (Obligation to Future Force command)
Special Weakness -1 (Unfamiliar with current culture and technology)
Future Enforcer-1
Bail Toraga, Lieutenant (Squad Leader) series start
Agile +2
Defense +2
Future Force Package +1
Hobby: Firearms +2
Hobby: Tactics +4
Intimidation +1
Perceptive +1
Position of Power +1
Tough +1
Arrogant -1 (People of the past are helplessly primitive)
Boorish -1
Code of Conduct -1 (Honesty)
Emotionless -1
Fussy -2
Girl Magnet -1
Naive -1
Obsession -1 (Return to the Future)
Obsession -2 (Stopping Kuroshi's plans)
Overconfident -1
Total +0
Mid Season powerup version includes Savior Star Soldiers teamup. He gains the standard celestron package, and a henshin watch with the following abilities and weaknesses:
Savior Taurus, the Gold Star Soldier
Quick +1
Strong +2
Transformation +5
Armor +1
Endurance Reserve +2
Power Move +2
Strong +2
Weapon +3 (Taurus Trident, Accurate, Extra Knockback)
Vitality +1
Focus -1 (Transformation due to henshin watch)
Rival -2 (Savior Lupus)
Room for Two -1
Servitude -1 (Helping the Savior Star Soldiers)
Wanted -2
Total adjustment +2
Note: Bail is specifically allowed to combine both his transformations if he possesses both devices. In which case he combines all the powers together and is known as Powered Enforcer-1. In this form, the Taurus Trident is called the Blazing Spear, and the Flash Knuckle is integrated into the end of the weapon, the head splitting apart briefly to flare. The Kintama Blaster gets smaller, gains a joint causing it to look more like a wand than a gun, but maintains the same power and range. The kintama blaster also gains a "sword mode" where a beam cuts up to half a meter from the tip. This is the same weapon without the ranged quality, so it isn't paid for again. (Also it's only available to Powered Enforcer Alpha)
I realize I didn't define his Savior Star power moves. He is a super-strength archetype, so his moves relate to massive damage punches or trident strikes.
Last edited by Siroh on Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Siroh
Future Enforcer-3
Kobu Gregory, Private (Hot head) series start
Agile +1
Combat Ability +1
Defense +2
Future Force Package +2
Hobby: Law +4 (2 for Modern Japan)
Martial Arts +1
Quick +1
Tough +1
Code of Conduct -1 (Altruism)
Impulsive -2
Obsession -3 (Kill Kuroshi)
Short Fuse -2
Strange Personal Habit -1 (Nosy)
Total +2
Savior Scorpio, the Copper Star Soldier
Quick +1
Strong +2
Transformation +5
Agile +1
Barrier, Offensive +2
Endurance Reserve +2
Power Move +2
Super Speed +1
Weapon +2 (Scorpio Sword, Armor Piercing x2)
Vitality +1
Focus -1 (Transformation due to henshin watch)
Room for Two -1
Servitude -1 (Helping the Savior Star Soldiers)
Wanted -2
Total adjustment +4
Note: Kobu is specifically allowed to combine his two transformations to become Powered Enforcer Gamma. This requires him to have both devices on him at the time. In this form, the Scorpio Sword is combined with the Kintama Blaster and the Flash Knuckle. This means that he can use either weapon's abilities and the sword's abilities, but only one "weapon mode" at a time. Furthermore, if he is disarmed, he loses all of his attack abilities at once.
I know I haven't defined the power moves of the FF characters. Savior Scorpio is a flame user, thus the offensive barrier, and his power moves would primarily be fiery melee attacks or area assaults.
Kobu Gregory, Private (Hot head) series start
Agile +1
Combat Ability +1
Defense +2
Future Force Package +2
Hobby: Law +4 (2 for Modern Japan)
Martial Arts +1
Quick +1
Tough +1
Code of Conduct -1 (Altruism)
Impulsive -2
Obsession -3 (Kill Kuroshi)
Short Fuse -2
Strange Personal Habit -1 (Nosy)
Total +2
Savior Scorpio, the Copper Star Soldier
Quick +1
Strong +2
Transformation +5
Agile +1
Barrier, Offensive +2
Endurance Reserve +2
Power Move +2
Super Speed +1
Weapon +2 (Scorpio Sword, Armor Piercing x2)
Vitality +1
Focus -1 (Transformation due to henshin watch)
Room for Two -1
Servitude -1 (Helping the Savior Star Soldiers)
Wanted -2
Total adjustment +4
Note: Kobu is specifically allowed to combine his two transformations to become Powered Enforcer Gamma. This requires him to have both devices on him at the time. In this form, the Scorpio Sword is combined with the Kintama Blaster and the Flash Knuckle. This means that he can use either weapon's abilities and the sword's abilities, but only one "weapon mode" at a time. Furthermore, if he is disarmed, he loses all of his attack abilities at once.
I know I haven't defined the power moves of the FF characters. Savior Scorpio is a flame user, thus the offensive barrier, and his power moves would primarily be fiery melee attacks or area assaults.
Siroh